brittle bones
by Merr2
Summary: Rogue's entrapment in Genosha and the anguish of the man in love with her. Drabbles. 'Her eyes are forced open by the ringing of alarms, the banging of doors.'
1. part one:burning bright:blowout

**part one: burning bright**

It's a blow out; they yell and scream at the top of their lungs.

The cut of her words just barely slice his skin. The damage done to him is minimal. She loves him too much to ever _truly _hurt him.

His words are deep and jagged, like a knife being twisted in her gut. He knows what to say to get her to crumple and crumple she does. He loves her too much _not _to hurt her.

The thought of building her back up thrills him. Even as she weeps and he continues shouting they both know they need this; _want _this.

They release their passion and frustration in the only way they can: words.


	2. backdown

They still do not acknowledge each other's presence. They are both still sore; tender.

In a day or so they will both back down. He will bring her flowers and apologize and she will hug him carefully; always so carefully, and apologize as well.

She will say she loves him and he will say he loves her, too and they will look down and away- anything to avoid eye contact.

Because they both know it won't be the last time. They both know they get sick pleasure in seeing the other in pain, they both know they get some sick pleasure _being _in pain.

This is why they're meant for one another. No one else could survive the fire.

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	3. blush

The briefing ends and they exit the war room.

Rogue and Logan were given a separate mission from the rest of them, and Remy can't help but feel some sort of pride. She's waited a long time to receive such responsibility: and she deserves it.

They make eye contact. Rogue blushes but pretends she doesn't see him.

He pursues it no further; he is used to this game and he is sick of it. If she had it her way they'd dance around each other for years; waiting for someone to cave and apologize first.

He won't be the first one to try and make things better this time.

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	4. bitter

Rogue lands before him and he raises his eyebrow. He isn't used to her seeking him out- it's usually the other way around.

She nibbles her lip and wrings her fingers. He laughs at her insecurity.

He is bitter towards her, he has been for months. She complicated things so much more than was necessary. They could be happy if she let him love her.

"Remy-" she murmurs, "-we both overreacted and it was stupid-"

He stands, crushing his cigarette beneath his boot. "Will you ever just apologize, _chere_? Will you ever admit that _you _were wrong and _I _was right?"

She steps back; shock splashes across her features.

"I'm _done_." He walks away: breaking her heart before she can break his.

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	5. bright

She and Logan board the two-man aircraft.

She turns around; half hoping Remy will appear suddenly in the hangar with his bright eyes and bright smile.

She should have just apologized, but apologizing would make him the winner; it would show that he was right and she was wrong and if she doesn't have control over that aspect at least, what _does _she have control over?

"You coming, darlin'?"

She faces the feral man; feeling slight annoyance at his knowing look.

"Yeah, let's go."

The hood closes and their belts fasten. A high-pitched whine signals the start up of the plane's engine.

They lift off, and Rogue swears she sees the swirling of a brown coat.

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	6. burning

He half hopes she'll see him; hidden partially in the shadows. He doesn't know why he's here watching her like this. He thought he was over her, thought he was done- just like he'd said.

He tried ending this five year cycle: this pain and screaming and lies and burning, scorching _thing _they called love.

As if feeling his presence, Rogue turns around. Her gaze falls on him and he freezes; an aching want gnaws at his insides.

But she turns and boards the plane. She hadn't seen him.

_Merde, _he thinks, because he _can't _end this and _won't _end this. He runs into the hangar just as the plane shoots away.

He's too late.

* * *

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	7. blast

She rounds the corner and heads towards the sounds of fighting. They'd gotten separated early in the mission- and it is time to abort.

Her heart pounds so loudly she can hear it.

She sees Logan laying on the ground; bleeding.

"_Wolverine,_" she hisses, but he does not stir.

Looking both ways, she ventures into the open space of the warehouse. She levitates into the air, preventing any noise, and lands softly next to her fallen teammate.

"Come on, sugar." Her super strength allows her to lift him easily. "We gotta get out of here-"

She doesn't notice the blast until the needle is protruding from the back of her neck.

* * *

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	8. babble

Their words make no sense to him. All he knows is the searing fire in his gut and the stiffening of his muscles.

The warehouse is empty- save for a few boxes. There are signs of an attack.

Logan has a healing ability; Rogue does not.

He can't help but remember the last words he'd spat at her- the way he'd ended things. He wishes he could take her back and make her safe.

'Tranquilized'? 'Captured'? All he hears from their mouths is babble- incoherent mutterings.

He just wants to know where she is, so he can protect her and kill the people who did this.

His fingers itch with kinetic charges.

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	9. blur

They inject something in her and her vision goes blurry. They are white men in white jackets. They keep their faces covered in masks.

Mutant haters.

She struggles against the restraints, but she's as weak as a normal woman- they do not give.

"You have been properly de-powered, mutant. Escape is futile."

Little patches of dread form in her stomach. She is powerless; she no longer has her stolen abilities.

For once, she aches for her poisonous skin.

They lean over her and terror creeps up her spine.

"Anesthesia ready, doctor," a female says.

There is a cold gleam in his eye. "Sedative not needed." He brings the scalpel to her flesh.

She screams.

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	10. part two:brown belts:bland

**part two: brown belts**

His surroundings seem colorless and his food tastes bland. He's smoked four packs of cigarettes in two days. And still nothing.

He wonders how many hours the professor has been sitting at Cerebro; searching endlessly for the lost belle and Logan.

His stomach cramps just thinking about it, and he lights another cigarette using the tip of his finger. He leans against the brick of the chimney and stares across the landscape.

He knows that there are only two possibilities as to why Cerebro hasn't been able to pick up on their signatures: they're either unconscious or dead.

And Remy closes his eyes and prays to God that it isn't the latter.


	11. bulge

The first thing she notices when she comes to is the throbbing coming from under her skin.

It's located on her wrist- a black and blue bulge of pain. She knows they've implanted something in her, but she isn't sure what.

Her head spins; she gives up on trying to sit.

The ground she lays on is cold and hard. The only light in the room comes from the cutout in the metal door.

She wears only her thin night shirt, and the coppery smell of blood fills her nostrils and makes her ill. If she had the energy she would vomit.

She tries reaching the professor from her tiny cell.

* * *

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	12. breathe

When Ororo comes out of the professor's office with a stone face and tears in her eyes, Remy knows and he collapses against the wall.

His vision swims. He feels her strong hands on his arm; trying to keep him up.

"Breathe, my friend! Charles has found some leads; do not give up hope!"

She doesn't understand him and she continues to speak.

How can he remain hopeful after a week of hearing nothing? They've all been searching non-stop for the missing X-men and have found nothing, not a trace. The surveillance tapes were destroyed; the culprits left no evidence.

He turns away from Ororo.

He can't breathe with a missing heart.

* * *

Decided to post two today since I didn't update on Friday.

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	13. botched

They pull her from the cell. She is sore from the surgery and from sleeping on the hard ground.

She can't walk, so they drag her along impatiently; cruelly. The waxy floors leave searing sensations on her legs and feet. She lets her head hang.

The men throw her in a white room with others. She feels hysteria forming in her body. She won't let them perform another botched surgery on her, she'll die before she lets them.

The same doctor steps in with the same attendants. Men form a small group on the other side of the glass wall.

"Remove your clothing."

Some of the other mutants around her comply, but she can't seem to move.

* * *

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	14. belts

He and Bobby return to the warehouse, looking for anything they might have missed in their previous search.

Remy lifts rubble and climbs on top of crates. He combs every square inch carefully; thoroughly.

"Gambit?"

The Cajun spins around, and swallows at the sight of Rogue's belt and com-link in his teammate's hand.

"Wolverine's is over here, too. Whoever did this really doesn't want us to find them, huh?"

Gambit's crimson glare kills Bobby's attempt at humor on the spot, and he goes silent.

"Put those in some plastic. _Bête _might be able to get some clues from them."

Iceman only nods; not liking the dark shadow that's been over his friend's face since Rogue's disappearance.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the feedback!

Happy Holiday :]


	15. bile

They don't ask a second time. The doctor's assistants step forward and begin ripping clothes away. There are outcries and punches thrown. Guns are pulled out, prisoners are shot. Blood pools on the white ground; all goes silent.

"Do anymore of you have objections?"

With trembling hands and bile in her throat, Rogue lifts her nightshirt and lets it flutter to the ground. Her nipples instantly harden from the cold, and there are wolf whistles and carnal comments made.

She fights back tears, but keeps her shoulders squared. She'd always assumed the first and only man to see her naked would be Remy, but things didn't always go as planned and she won't let them see her cry.

* * *

I should warn you all: I'm a sick sort of gal and I plan on putting both Rogue and Remy through hell. You've been warned :]

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	16. bunch

Remy sits at the desk armed with pen and paper, and begins to write.

_Positives: Rogue is invulnerable. Rogue is smart. Rogue knows how to fight._

He racks his mind for more, but nothing comes to mind. He starts a new line:

_Negatives: They were able to capture her, meaning powerful weapons. Strong possibility they have negating devices. Rogue can't fight if she's unconscious. We have no idea where she is._

He looks down at the paper, and the truth is there- written in his own hand.

Angrily, he bunches the sheet up into a ball and flings it across the room. Jean was a fool for suggesting that he write down his thoughts.

* * *

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	17. bent

She tells herself that she isn't here; in this white room. She isn't bent over, legs spread apart and arms straight ahead. Her breasts aren't being lifted and her rectum isn't being examined.

"M: 212 withholding no weapons or communication devices, sir."

She isn't here, this isn't her body. She's at home in the mansion. She's reading that romance novel she left on her dresser. She's writing in her diary about Remy. She's eating ice cream with Kitty-

"Have you forgotten something, Smith?"

The man slaps his forehead and laughs at himself; as if he'd made some small, insignifigant mistake. "I forgot about the vaginal canal, how silly of me!"

And then his latex-covered fingers are inside of her.

* * *

I feel sick.

Feedback is encouraged.


	18. beep

He knows Hank feels uncomfortable with him hanging over his shoulder like this, but he doesn't give a damn. If Hank finds something, Remy wants to be here the minute- no, the _second _he does.

The lasers of the scanner go back and forth over the belts; it beeps.

"Unknown DNA signature detected. Identifying source now," the computer drones. Remy's never been so grateful for the Shi'ar in all his days as an X-man.

"What's taking it so long," he snaps impatiently. "Ain't this supposed to be the most advanced stuff there is?"

"There are trillions of DNA on this earth," Henry explains with the utmost patience. "Even technology such as this needs time to work."

* * *

...A sliver of hope?

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	19. brown

It ends; he takes his hands from her and moves on to the next mutant.

She shakes with relief and exhaustion. They hand her a brown shirt and pants. The material is unyielding, but it's better than being exposed to those leering men.

The shoes they give her are too large, but she makes no complaint.

A female attendant shoves a band in her hand. "Pull it back or chop it off."

Rogue quickly ties her long curls back. The woman grabs her forearm and yanks her out of the white room.

There are comments and promises of later abuse from the group of men as they pass by, and she sees the woman's hatred and embarrassment.

* * *

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	20. part three:beds and backdoors:brain

**part three: beds and backdoors**

Cameron Hodge. Date of birth: Unknown. Place of residency: Unknown. Affiliation: Unknown.

The computer has given them a name, but nothing more. The X-men; with all their ties to the government and advanced means, _still _cannot find anything else on this man.

Remy begins using his brain. The X-men are good for a lot of things, but they are clueless when it comes to anything in the 'under ground'. That's _his _forte.

He gets in touch with every contact he's ever had and calls in every favor he's owed.

And then finally: something.

"I found a few things on your guy. He's apart of something called the 'Magistrates'. Specializes in obtaining mutants for slave labor."

It's a start.

* * *

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	21. badges

The woman takes her to a massive hallway, there are other mutants being led much like herself. Guards stand menacingly on the sides and behind them, and even at the end of the hall; in front of a big, metal door.

A red head catches her eye, then sidesteps so that she is next to the belle.

"I'm Amelia Voght," she whispers, and leans closer, "You're an X-man, are you not?"

They reach the door before Rogue answers, and the female attendant shows the men her badge. The doors groan open.

"Sit by me," Amelia says. "There is much we must discuss."

Rogue nods; obviously distracted, and looks around desperately for Logan.

* * *

Thanks for the support :] You guys make it all possible


	22. backdoors

As it turns out- knowing his guy is involved with the 'Magistrates' is an exceptional help. Criminals and other shady persons posted at devious backdoors and seedy clubs seem to know the term well, and Remy gathers more information than he could have ever dreamt.

He can't wait to tell Scott that _his _way, though underhanded, gets things done, too.

"The place you're looking for is called Genosha," the woman croaks, numerous teeth missing from her mouth. "Why does a handsome fella like you wanna know about Genosha? You gotta death wish?"

He smiles charmingly, avoiding the question and the terror it causes. "You mentioned a person who can help me. What's his name?"

"Magneto." She laughs.

* * *

Geting Magneto on his side is not gonna be easy.

Feedback is encouraged.


	23. bulk

Amelia leads her to the line and hands her a tray. Rogue follows her closely and tries not to grimace as they plop a steaming, bulky plateful of something grey before her.

There are more armed soldiers stationed around the 'cafeteria', and they stare her down as the two walk past.

"They can tell you're new," Amelia explains, worry in her hazel eyes. "They'll try and trick you into giving yourself away. If they offer you blankets or extra food, say no thank you and look down. If they corner you in the quarry, make up some excuse and find the group."

Rogue swallows. "The quarry?" she asks.

"You'll know soon enough."

* * *

Sorry for the delay, had a busy Thursday/Friday and going to have a busy weekend.


	24. bed

He lays on the bed in complete darkness; the busy flashes of his eyes wash his face in a hellish glow. His mouth is pressed into a thin line, the cards in his hand have long ago been crushed.

He thinks of Rogue and what he has to do to save her. He thinks of Magneto and feels hatred, but he's the only one with the power to tear down Rogue's prison.

If only he could save her on his own…he ends the thought. He won't let his foolish male pride and oversized ego cloud his judgment. He'll save her if he has to get on his knees before the Master of Magnetism and plead like a dog.

* * *

Not a lot happened in this one obviously, but it was hinted in the comics that Rogue and Magneto may have been lovers during her stay in the Savage Land. I wanted to show Remy's thoughts on this.


	25. buried

After the 'meal' Rogue and the other new mutants are taken back to their cells, whilst the rest are escorted to the quarry.

Rogue uses her nail to make seven indents on the wall. Seven days, not counting the ones she's been unconscious.

The professor is searching for her mutant signature, but ever since they implanted the device in her wrist; she is no longer a mutant.

She feels buried underneath all her fear and animosity. She can't recall the hazy flight, but she remembers traveling over miles and miles of ocean and thinking the water was beautiful.

What if she never escapes? What if she's too far away?

She manages to sleep, and she dreams of Remy.

* * *

.


	26. blatant

It's becoming blatantly obvious that his methods of finding Magneto: threatening, mauling, stealing, and charming- are not proving as efficient as he would like. He's wasted days already, and though he has not slept and barely eaten; he still feels as though he's letting his _chére _down.

He gets sick when he thinks of what those _fils de pute _are doing to her, so he doesn't let himself think too often. He'd lose his sanity if he let his mind wander to the agony she must be suffering; while he goes around getting nothing done-

It hits him one night, as he sits on Rogue's bed and holds her stuffed animals close:

Mystique is the answer to getting Magneto.

* * *

Head over to my website, where you'll find excuses for my laziness and (possibly) some amusement. And if ya have a sec, leave me a comment (or strongly-worded complaint) and I'll get back to you :)


	27. burrowed

Three violent knocks fill the tiny space and Rogue jumps from her curled position on the floor. She is partly awake and partly dreaming; the residue of Remy's psyche is still hanging on stubbornly to the walls of her conscious thought.

The negating instrument burrowed in her flesh may have taken away her powers, but the voices are still with her: whispering their ideas, fears, and wants. For once, their presence is a comfort instead of a hindrance; they are her only friends.

The door is thrown open and Rogue shields her eyes from the sudden, harsh light. There are two manly silhouettes in the doorway. She scoots to the very back of her cell, regarding them warily.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	28. brotherhood

The Cajun waltzes right up to the door of the Brotherhood, and knocks nonchalantly. He decided earlier that there was no point in breaking in or avoiding confrontation, after all, once Mystique learned about her daughter's peril-

John Allerdyce opens the door in shorts and a t-shirt; he drops his novel when he sees Remy's face. He moves to retrieve his lighter, but Gambit is faster and he slams his bo-staff against Pyro's windpipe.

"Where's Mystique? _C'est importante_."

John chokes. "She ain't here, mate! The sheila's been gone for months-"

A lattice work pattern of fuchsia trickles down the staff and sizzles against the fire wielder's throat.

"X-factor," he gasps. "Something about X-factor!"

* * *

This chap felt a bit 'X:Evo' to me, but I couldn't recall where the Brotherhood resided in the comics.

Feedback is encouraged.


	29. brute

Something more than dread or terror takes hold of her. She thinks of Amelia's words and silently prepares herself. She'll die fighting before she lets these men touch her; she won't let Remy down.

The one on the right is of thinner build, he'll go down easily. The one on the left is heavier and thick- with her super strength she'd be able to flick him away with the effort she'd use to swat a fly, but she is all human now. She knows she has no chance of beating him with brute force.

"Get up, mutie. Time to get to work on the quarry."

The quarry. They aren't here to rape her.

At least, not now.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	30. part four:bad blunders:busy

**part four: bad blunders**

The bald guard cuffs her wrists, and shoves her out of the cell using the blunt end of his gun. She lurches forward, nearly tripping on her oversized shoes.

The thinner man laughs. "Careful with her, Scissor. She's a pretty one- don't you think?" He cups her backside in an abrupt motion.

The two men guffaw and the slight molestation continues. Rogue grinds her teeth together and keeps walking. She wants nothing more than to defend herself, but she knows she has no chance against them.

While they're busy insulting her with their vulgar talk- she is examining each and every hallway they walk her down and archiving the different pathways and doors into her memory.


	31. bridge

He dismounts the motorcycle some two miles away from his destination, and throws his pack on his back. He wears a slim, black bodysuit made of lycra- complete with black boots and black gloves. He blends in perfectly with the dark sky.

He walks.

He passes flowing streams and darkened forests. The sounds of the night surround him, and he feels some sort of peace for a moment. He isn't scared to break into the government-owned facility, but he is scared of failing. Because if he can't do this he can't save Rogue-and that's the most terrifying prospect he's ever had to deal with.

He crosses a wooden bridge, and his light-sensitive eyes pick out his first obstacle.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	32. begin

She's taken through the final set of doors, and for the first time in nearly a month, Rogue sees the outside world. She lets her thirsting eyes drink it all in: the blinding sun, the blue sky, and the creamy clouds.

It's beautiful.

Her escourts salute the guards overlooking the other mutants, and she is shaken from her observations. It is now that she takes the time to truly look around.

There are hundreds of mutants littered across the arid, rocky landscape of the quarry. Each of them is laboring to stay alive.

"Good. We need more muscle." He presses his belt.

She feels the return of her powers like a rush of heat, and she begins to think.

* * *

To the rude, ignorant, annoying, and anonymous reviewer too cowardly to reveal an actual penname: 1) I will report you if this ridiculous, trashy flaming continues. There is a difference between constructive crit. and all-out abuse. 2) It's a DRABBLE. Obviously you don't know what you're talking about, because if you did you'd know that drabbles are 100 words in length and they're MEANT to be vague. 3) If you really hate this so much, WHY DO YOU KEEP TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW? Just don't read it if you don't like it! Grow up!

To my lovely readers/reviewers: I apologize for that. I'm usually a non-confrontational sorta gal, but some people just...Grr. I'm thinking of disabling anonymous reviews, but I can think of a few special ladies without accounts who wouldn't appreciate that.


	33. brush

It's easy for his sharp sight to spot the small triggers planted indiscreetly underneath the dense brush. For any other clueless person wandering through these parts, the devices would look like nothing but silver balls imbedded in the dirt.

Remy is not clueless. He knows that the slightest vibration will hit the sensitive orbs and send a warning to the computers located in the building. And the last thing he wants to do is alert X-Factor of his presence.

He scans the canopy of trees and silently determines his best option. Climbing trunks and swinging on branches will be tiring and time-consuming, but it looks as if he has no other choice.

"I'll see you soon, _chère_."

* * *

I'm off to edit some other things. See ya soon ;]

Feedback is encouraged.


	34. bad

She waits two weeks and three days before actually acting on the plans and schemes constantly springing up in her mind.

She wanted to act much sooner, but knew she needed to think this out properly. She knows that if she fails and they get their hands on her—she'll pay dearly.

But she's watched, she's waited, and she can't delay any longer. She's memorized the rounds of the guards and when she's in their line of view or when she's in a blind spot.

Today starts out the same: she eats, she's escorted to the quarry, she feels her powers return.

Only today, things will turn out differently—whether that ending is good or bad, she doesn't know.

* * *

(I'm hiding behind pillow) I'm sorry! I know, I know: Merr2 is a slacka'. Review Responses and chapter 4 of TIAD coming soon!

Feedback is encouraged.


	35. bounds

He bounds up the tree and makes his way above the ground with ease. Each wooden limb sags heavily beneath his weight. Without breaking his concentration he sends a quick wish up to _Dame de la Chance_, and hopes she hears him.

The branches hold. It seems that Lady Luck still counts him in her favor.

He nears the building; he's so close he can see the lighted windows and people within.

Remy examines the towering wall of pure electricity crackling between he and his destination. He knows that the technology before him is too advanced to have been made by anyone _but _Forge.

But he's prepared, too.

And with that last, slightly smug thought—Remy unzips his pack.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	36. button

When they press the button, the first thing she does is shoot into the air.

For a moment she is free.

The sunlight is warm and pleasant against her pale cheeks and arms. The wind captures her curls and swirls them around her face. She laughs unreservedly and zooms faster.

She entertains visions of soaring home to capture Remy in her arms, of returning to this place with the X-men to find Logan and release the rest of the captive mutants, of making these horrible people pay for the atrocities they've committed.

Her heart races; she can almost see over the surrounding, concrete wall—

The device embedded in her wrist spasms suddenly, and she falls from the sky.

* * *

:[

Feedback is encouraged.


	37. beams

Remy retrieves the metal spikes from his bag and tests their weight. They're similar to his bo staff in appearance, but are cheap imitations compared to his beautiful, adamantium tool.

Using his other arm for leverage, Remy launches the spikes at the electric wall, and grins when each one lands in its intended place. They lodge themselves in the ground, and the shining metal causes the charged beams to reflect away and create an opening just wide enough for a Cajun to slip through.

He throws his pack over his shoulder, and with a running start—propels himself off the branch, falling into a neat tuck and roll on the other side of the fence.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	38. blunder

She hadn't anticipated them to act so quickly, and she pays for her blunder.

She hits the ground and all oxygen is forced from her lungs, pores, and mouth. She coughs up red, but cannot roll over to spit it out. It remains in her mouth and she chokes.

Rogue knows without a doubt that her legs are shattered beyond repair and that she should not be able to see her elbow while laying in this position.

Despite her injuries, she feels no pain. She wonders fleetingly if she's going to die, and soon after that thought—wonders why she isn't frightened by it.

The drones find her minutes later and strap her crushed body to a gurney.

* * *

Merr2 is very, very sick, so please forgive any mistakes.

Feedback is encouraged.


	39. brick

As soon as he reaches the other side he's scrambling to his feet and running for cover. He's aware that he may be setting off all kinds of alarms and triggers with his carelessness, but a sudden clenching of his heart is making him impatient.

Something is wrong. Very wrong. He's not sure exactly _what_, but he knows it has nothing to do with his current predicament and everything to do with Rogue.

He flattens himself against the cool brick of the establishment and listens for any commotion or voices.

Minutes pass and nothing happens; he's safe for now.

Glancing up, Remy gauges the distance from himself to the window, then throws his grappling hook up into the air.

* * *

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	40. part five:both boil:back

**part five: both boil**

She registers the stale lighting and knows she's no longer outdoors. The plastic feeling of latex roaming her body and the chill in the dense air tells her that she's back in the white room she detests so much.

"Bring him in."

If she had the strength she would frown. The last thing she's ever imagined is these cruel monsters providing her with a doctor in an effort to save her life.

She fades into her mind, only to come back to reality when she hears many footsteps and the scraping of metal against the floor. Too many people to work on one woman, she thinks, and tries desperately to open her eyes.

She can't. They're swollen shut.

* * *

Happy Halloween!


	41. both

Remy feels the rope go taut as it catches on the sill. He tests its strength with his weight, and when satisfied that it won't give out, he wastes no time with further precautions and simply begins shimmying up the line.

He makes it to the ledge in no time at all and examines the brick around the glass for triggers and cameras with both eyes and fingertips. Finding no obtrusions, he removes his glove and holds it with his teeth so that his hands are free. Kinetic energy crackles; his fingertip melts the glass.

A circular part of the window pops out neatly into his palm. He is now able to open the window from inside.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	42. bullets

He waited for her. He'd been so close to freedom; closer than she, even, but he came back.

She sees it through his eyes: men falling beneath her claws like frail petals, torrents of blood splattering on the floor and coating its shiny surface in crimson, and finally—the sight that makes her heart flutter—the door, and all the wildlife and trees beyond it. The fresh air and chirping birds; the warm breeze and setting sun.

She wants to cry when her vision changes and she's back in the sterile hallways, searching for something, _wanting _something…

She sees her own cell and knows what's happening. She's so close, but then the bullets come.

He _waited _for her.

* * *

If this was confusing you'll understand soon ;]

Feedback is encouraged.


	43. blocks

The blueprints he memorized so thoroughly come in handy now, and he uses the stolen information to creep his way to the control room. There is adrenaline running rampant in his veins as he makes more and more progress to his destination, but the thrill that comes with the usual break and enter is no longer present. This is life or death, but it's not _his _life that's up for the gamble.

Or is it? Sometimes it's too hard for him to separate Rogue's heart from his, to label them as two separate individuals.

He recognizes the sign above the door and gets his cards ready. The automatic blocks slide open and he's allowed access.

He's close.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	44. behalf

The scraping metal she'd heard was Logan—in metal chains and other hindrances.

As soon as the wave of healing washes away there's a vibration under her wrist, and she knows that her thieving skin has served its purpose and is now being negated by the Genoshan device.

"Fascinating," the doctor breathes. He runs his hands over her nonexistent wounds.

She shivers.

"The files originally obtained for M: 212 were…_sparse _at best. Never have I imagined something like _this_—"

Rogue tunes his words out and brushes Logan's black hair away from his forehead. He came back for her; he saved her life, but she'd tried escaping with only a fleeting thought on his behalf.

_How could you_?

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	45. better

Somewhere between his entering of the building and now, Remy gained a very real fear that this was too easy.

He hacks into the main database with minimal difficulty, shaking his head as he pulls up Mystique's file. _Gonna have to do _much _better than this, M'sieu Forge._

According to the records, Mystique's sojourn here is not of her own free will. She's a prisoner, and this realization alone will make this already-tricky mission _that _much worse. And more informative, too. It seems that Forge created a negating device to keep ole blue in one form.

Of course he thinks of Rogue, and if such things are possible...

He won't let himself obsess over it. Focus is key.

* * *

Feedback is encouraged.


	46. brow

"Potential aside," The doctor adjusts his squared-lens glasses and forces the excitement from his voice. "a very real misdeed has been committed this day." He gives Rogue a look of disappointment, but addresses his colleagues. "As I've just proven, her mutation is too valuable for us to dispose of her."

Rogue is too cautious to breathe a sigh of relief.

"However—" He begins washing his pale hands in the sink. "—we must teach M: 212 that treacherous acts are not permitted in this facility."

She knows her fate is being decided, and she looks from man to man with sweat on her brow. She feels like some kind of exotic animal forced into a cage for human entertainment.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	47. barrel

He hears the cocking of the primer too late for any reaction. The barrel of a gun presses steadily against his skull; one false move can end it all.

"Put your hands in the air, where I can see them."

Gambit does as he's told without question. His mind is reeling from his discovery. Had he not been so damn hasty, had the X-men not been so stubborn and accepted the idea of working with 'terrorists' like Mystique and Magneto...

He grinds his teeth together. X-Men: world's biggest hypocrites. They can soil their immaculate hands when it comes to fighting for the professor's dream, but when the underdog needs their support 'right' and 'wrong' come in to play.

* * *

_Shades of Grey _coming within the week.


	48. boil

Logan is lifted from her lap and thrown onto the ground. She winces at the awful sound, and screams when they come for her next.

"Seven days in the boiler room, 212." His eyes are soulless and empty, his smile hollow. "No food and little water. Temperatures that reach one hundred degrees for hours at a time—" The doctor chuckles and the rest follow. "You won't pull something like this again. I promise you that."

They begin dragging her away. "That's what you think, you sonovabitch!" She struggles against their solid hold. "I'll show you!"

She kicks, bites, and thrashes. Her antics slow down the procession, but they continue on until they reach the lower levels.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	49. brief

There is a brief lapse of time in which the two men fall silent.

It is short-lived; Remy recovers his senses quickly. He falls into a crouch and knocks the man's feet from under him before he can pull the trigger. He pins his adversary to the ground and presses his knees into his chest.

The older man is Forge, and he's obviously shocked to see a familiar face as the intruder. "But you're an X-man, aren't you?"

He doesn't answer. "I didn't come to make trouble. Just give me Mystique."

The man beneath him stiffens. "That is completely out of the question. Mystique has been entrusted to us by the government—"

"'Fraid you'd say that."

Gun hits cranium.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	50. part six:broken beauty:buy

**part five: broken beauty**

It's so humid in the tiny room that she pauses in her struggle to take a gulp of fiery air. She's weakened and her escorts are grateful: she put up quite the fight on the way.

Her wrists are placed in shackles attached to the wall. She sits there, and soon beads of perspiration are pouring off of her and her mouth turns to sandpaper.

The two men above her smirk and exchange glances. "Wanna _buy _yourself some water?"

She flinches away in disgust.

"Come on," He squats next to her. "Why don't we help each other out?"

She lifts her chained arm from its place on the floor and cracks his nose open. Blood spurts.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	51. bars

Her golden eyes fly to him as soon as he enters the holding room.

She rises from the bench with hope about her lips. "My daughter is here to save me?"

Remy avoids the question for now. "Never thought I'd see the day when _you'd _be outwitted, Misty."

"Not outwitted," she corrects icily, "just overwhelmed. I couldn't fight off the whole damn gang of them, now could I?"

Their chit-chatting ends as soon as it began. "Why are you here, Gambit?"

He breaks the lock box. The bars disappear into the ceiling with a slight hiss. "Rogue's in trouble," he forces out. Talking about her is torture.

Mystique's eyes narrow dangerously. "What have you done?"

He talks.

* * *

Happy Thanksgiving!


	52. blue

"You'll pay for this, bitch." His chin and the front of his uniform are soaked in blood.

She fights back—_Don't stop. Can't let them beat us_—with the last of her strength.

She can't do much with her hands tethered like they are, but the men aren't trying to hurt her, not really. The doctor _has _just finished with her, they know they can't rough her up _too _badly.

The last punch lands on her shoulder.

Rogue waits until they leave before giving into her exhaustion. When she lets her head hang she sees the black and blue discolorations on her thighs and arms. Her right cheek is numb; she wonders how swollen it must be.

__

Sleep.

She does.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	53. bloom

When he's done telling his tragic tale she's silent—for a very long time. Long enough for him to squirm under the blooming quiet.

Finally, her mouth moves, but none of her other facial features flex. She is marble, she is stone. "And the X-men?"

"Diplomacy: like always. The professor still thinks he can 'reach' the Genoshans."

Her knuckles turn a lighter indigo as her fists curl and tremble by her sides. "Xavier's got that dream of his shoved so far up his ass he can't think clearly anymore."

He sees the workings of her brain, the calculations of her plans, and knows instinctively that he is not included. Mystique works alone.

"I'm going with you." He leaves no room for argument.

* * *

Feedback encouraged :]


	54. bask

Perhaps she knew, from the beginning, that this would happen: that the men would return later on in the night to finish what they started. That they would leer at her, pull her hair, taunt her. That Carol, knowing their heady looks all too well, would wrap her essence around hers and pull her gently—more gently than she ever had—to the back of her mind. To bask in the warmth, the quiet—_A sanctuary_.

Perhaps she knew, from the beginning, that she'd be grateful for this: now she won't remember seeing their faces above her, she won't remember their hands on her, their manhood inside of her.

She tells herself that it's all just physical repercussion, not emotional. _We can handle the physical_.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	55. brash

Remy discovers that their exit is decidedly louder and less thought-out than his own clumsy entrance. After a trip to the weaponry arsenal they strap themselves down with guns and Mystique brashly shoots anything in sight.

She finishes and runs down the stairs. He recovers from his shocked paralysis and follows after her.

"We need transportation." Alarms scream all around them in deafening volumes; he's impressed with her cool.

Escaping from one of the most powerful organizations on earth seems like nothing to her.

Mystique hops into one of the hummers and he barely makes it into the passenger seat before she skids out of the garage and onto the road. Bullets assail them; they crash through the gate.

* * *

Push it.


	56. blood

She comes back into reality some five days later, feeling every scrape, bruise, and throb of her body at once. She runs her hands across herself and there's no recognition. This isn't hers, it can't be.

Her wandering fingers reach her thighs and come away sticky. Blood. Thick, red, and salty-smelling. _Blood_.

For seconds she cannot move or breathe. _Them._

Hot liquid like magma fills her up and burns her insides to a crisp; she knows for the first time what blind hatred is. Hatred that claws up her innards screeching to be free, to wreak havoc on those who caused her pain, to drag them into the fire with her.

This hatred tears her apart. _They did this. They'll pay._

* * *

Feedback encouraged___._


	57. beauty

They take turns driving for the next four days. She won't tell him what he wants to hear but all that he doesn't:

"The relationship with my daughter is strained, but I've never, _never_, ended things like you did. You can't pinpoint your last goodbye with someone, so _always _make it count."

Her golden eyes pierce right through him; he focuses on her steering instead of her gaze. She's right, pure and simple.

It took this: this desperation, this battle, this four day drive—to see in Mystique what Rogue sees. Inside the terrorist is a beauty that astounds him and a wisdom he never expected.

He can see the strength of his _chère _in her mother.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	58. burden

Xavier's bald head rests on his upturned palm. His usually-rigid posture is sinking as the endless minutes tick by.

Hank knows the weight of the situation is beginning to bear down on him. Two of their own have been missing nearly two months; Gambit's deflection and the protests of the other members to suit up only add to the older man's burden.

"When is enough, enough?" It's a rhetorical question, he doesn't expect an answer. "When does the kindness of the heart turn into foolishness? When does the need to save a loved one overpower that of the need for peace?"

He seems to come up with the answer on his own. He wastes no more time, and tells his X-men to prepare the Blackbird.

* * *

Finally, huh?

Feedback encouraged.


	59. broken

They think she's broken. They don't know that she's as flexible as the pussy willow along the Mississippi.

They don't know that she let go of all her weakness and feeling through tears, thrashings, and screams the night before. She shields her heart in an impenetrable shell. _We won't be vulnerable ever again._

They don't know that a white-hot hatred festers within her: keeping her going, or that her motionlessness when they mount her is not due to fear or frailty, but to the preservation of energy. _We'll be ready next time_.

They don't know that her dreams have been replaced with visions of their blood on her hands. She can't ever get back what they took, but she'll have their lives as consolation.

* * *

Feedback please :]

After reading a review I realized just how _long _it's taken for Remy to get to this point. We have to remember though that the first month or so was spent searching for Rogue with the X-men. About a week went by when Remy took matters into his own hands and started searching for information. I imagine that preparing himself and gathering research of the X-Factor HQ took another two weeks, and then he and Raven have been driving for the last week—which gives us our total of two months. (roughly—work with me)

Most of you probably don't care about any of that, but working things out helps my jumbled brain. ;]


	60. part seven:bubbles bursting:boots

**part seven: bubbles bursting **

He shakes himself awake as the sun sets. The fading light slants across the trees and hits the top of the gas pump—sending red-orange sunlight in all directions, including his sensitive eyes and his metal-coated boots.

He throws an arm over his face and sinks deeper into the leather seat. His trench coat is thrown carelessly onto the dashboard; his feet rest on top of it.

Mystique returns to the car in her disguised form, sliding into the driver's seat moodily.

"Everything okay, Misty—uh—Mystique?" She isn't like Ororo, who secretly enjoys her appointed nickname and whose threats over the matter are empty.

"He'll meet us within city limits."

Remy waits for her glee, but it never comes.

* * *

Review replies coming soon...er than later. ;] Promise.


	61. bully

The seventh day arrives and they come for her. The bruised knees do not wobble. The legs that have been so badly mistreated hold her shrunken weight without complaint. Her limbs know like she knows that to show them any hint of weakness is a failure.

Too much has been changed and mutilated already for her to allow her strength to falter as well.

"Shame you're going topside."

She doesn't humor their need to bully. She's learned that ignoring their antics usually causes their attention to wander.

Through the halls they go. To think, only a week ago she traveled on this very path: rebellious and full of fire.

The woman back then was innocent.

* * *

So sorry for the dry spell as of late. It's the week before Winter finals and cramming my brain with school-related stuff doesn't leave room for much else. Hope this will (somewhat) take the edge off. ;]


	62. buffer

The ominous shadow that's been building over the remainder of their trip finally becomes too much for Remy. He grabs her hand while they're in the middle of a traffic jam and confronts her.

"You're hiding something." Deliberate. To the point. It's the manner in which they've grown to address each other.

Her golden eyes remain on the highway ahead. "What would you do to save my daughter?"

"Anything."

His answer is so quick and thoughtless that she turns to him, teeth bared. He does not back down from her wild stance.

She asks again; the answer does not change.

Her anger, and consequently—her buffer—drains from her and he thinks she may be weeping.

"Then nothing else matters."

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	63. boxed

She never thought she'd fall as far as actually _missing _her tiny, concrete cell, but after an entire week of Hell she finds that it feels a little like home. It's safer boxed in these four windowless walls than it was in the boiler room.

At least they can't rape her here. At least every breath she takes isn't full of fire and the floor beneath her isn't dirt.

They feed her up here, though she vomited the first time she greedily swallowed what was offered. They give her water, too, plenty of it—dehydration isn't making her lips crack and bleed, making urination painful, making it so her throat can't work properly.

Yes. Just like home.

* * *

So, in some kind of twisted way I tried making this 'happy' for the holiday. If you squint you can see some of the cheer.

Merry X-Mas!


	64. bursting

Mystique leads him to the meeting place and Erik is waiting there—regal even in casual clothing. Even as the thought of saving his girl floods his body with endorphins—he knows, somehow, that this will not last. Raven's stony silence and Erik's content smirk are proof enough of this.

Erik starts right in. "You need my power and the troops I can provide."

Mystique keeps her jaw hard.

"But nothing is ever free." Such cold blue eyes.

Remy isn't surprised by this statement, he's a realist after all.

"Help my partner and I with your—_talents_—and I'm yours."

"Partner?"

"I believe you know him. A Mr. Nathaniel Essex?"

And then something behind his right eye is bursting. "_Non_," he chokes.

* * *

About 1/3 of the way done with chapter two of RTN.

Feedback encouraged.


	65. been

Yes. Just like home.

_What about Remy? What about the X-Men?_

She faces the corner of the cell and hugs her knees to her shrinking chest. The psyches don't understand. If the X-Men were coming to save her they'd have been here already. Cerebro would've pinpointed her in the few moments she'd been able to use her powers; the professor should've been able to sense her.

And Remy…Remy wants nothing to do with her.

It doesn't matter. She doesn't need them. She'll make sure these demons pay for what they've done to her—even if she dies trying.

She closes her eyes. Memories of crimson and onyx eyes flitter across her mind's eye.

* * *

Review replies, RTN, SoG—in that order.

Feedback encouraged :]


	66. beast

Beast crashes to the floor as the plane swerves violently to the side. Vials, needles, and jars fall and shatter all around him; within seconds his mobile lab is a tangle of medical instruments.

He uses his superhuman balance and flexibility to jump his way out of the wreckage and into the main hold.

The sight that greets him is a panicked one. Alarms are going off and Cyclops is shouting orders to his co-pilot, Storm. Smoke fills the windows of the aircraft and they're unable to see.

"What happened?"

"We've been hit," Jean replies, pressing a bandage to Iceman's bleeding forehead. "The Genoshans want us nowhere near their island."

The Blackbird dips into a nosedive.

* * *

Sorry, no update for RTN. Not feelin' very much like writing. Please Review :]

Welcome 2011!


	67. brave

She finds him in the men's restroom of a filthy diner. Cards are resting in his grasp, but for once they are still.

"I should've told you," she admits begrudgingly. "But my daughter is my only priority."

"I got away from him once," he says from his place on the ground. "Don't think I'll survive a second time."

"You said you'd do _anything _for her. You're backing out now?"

He smirks and there is a sort of resigned exhaustion in his eyes and stature. "Never said that."

Her anger falls away and once again she stands bared before him. "You're the bravest man I've ever met."

She doesn't bother hiding the tears when they come this time.

* * *

Feedback encouraged.


	68. bubbles

On the third day back up top they find her well enough to return to the quarry.

As soon as she steps foot onto the sun-parched land a wave of horrible _déjà vu _bubbles to the surface and makes it so she can think of nothing else but that day: the wind through her hair, the short-lived freedom…

She feels the warm return of her powers and turns to the sky. They know she won't try escaping again, and their solid confidence fuels her hatred.

"Work," his voice is familiar. One of the many she recalls being whispered against her ear. "Or back to the boiler room it is."

She barely notices the Blackbird falling from the clouds.

* * *

Review? Please?


	69. blackbird

Their lives are spared at the last minute by a combination of Jean's telekinesis and Storm's power over the winds. They hover for seconds above the harsh ocean water, and then land atop the waves; the Blackbird giving a shuddering groan.

Jean collapses into her husband's arms from the strain, and Hank makes his rounds to each X-Man while staying in telepathic contact with the professor.

'_They ignored our attempts at communication and shot us down without warning. There are a few casualties but all are minor.'_

'_I am grateful that none of you are hurt. And the Blackbird's condition?'_

'_Storm and Cyclops are outside assessing the damage. There's been no word yet.'_

'_Keep in contact.'_

_

* * *

_ Thanks for all of the support! Working on chapter 8 of TIAD when I have the time.


	70. part eight:belligerent bliss:banter

**part eight: belligerent bliss**

"I'm glad that you decided to return—"

But Remy has no patience for banter on this day. He's wasted so much time, _precious _time, that he couldn't afford to lose in the first place. He hasn't seen her or held her or brushed back the locks of pearl and russet from her glittering eyes in two months.

And if he's too late he may never get to do those things _ever _again.

"Just tell me what I have to do, Magneto."

"Why the rush?" He brings the coffee cup to his lips. "You are going to be part of the Great Beginning, young man."

Remy realizes then that Mystique hasn't told him about Rogue.

* * *

As of 9:03 am on Tuesday, January 11th: Merr2 is a legal adult :]


	71. belligerent

She's glad she's gone through what she has; that her hopes no longer soar and that her feelings have been so beaten down that painful things no longer cause pain.

Had she been fresher, cleaner, purer—seeing the Blackbird (her last chance at freedom) being shot out of the sky would have killed her. Now it doesn't matter. Now she isn't sick to her stomach because Remy could be hurt. Now she isn't belligerently pummeling a giant boulder with her fists until it's dust.

She breathes as a machine rolls where she'd been standing and scoops it up.

_I _am _okay._

* * *

It's been a while, so let me refresh quickly: the last time we saw Rogue, she had just come back to the quarry for the first time since she'd been put in the Boiler Room. As she was gazing at her surroundings she noticed the Blackbird 'falling from the sky.'

Anyways, I'm soooo sorry for the wait.

Feedback encouraged.


	72. bereft

Jean Grey never truly _stops_. Even as she lays in her husband's arms the activity in her mind does not rest completely. She pushes the limits of her powers and feels for Rogue's signature.

And there it is: a breath of fresh air, the scent of fresh flowers. And warmth that is completely unexpected from a woman who has to keep herself so bereft and cold to protect those around her, to maintain sanity.

'_I _am _okay.' _She hears the southern-dipped voice across the ocean.

Jean Grey isn't convinced.

"We must finish the repairs soon." She sits up, much to Scott's surprise. "We're losing her, Scott."

* * *

1/3 of the way done with chapter 3 of RTN. It's late, I know. I'm getting behind in TIAD too, but I can't help it! It is summer after all...

Review Replies coming soon.

Feedback encouraged.


	73. bait

Bait. He's just bait. If not for the desperate look in Raven's eyes Remy would have told Magneto the truth right then.

Looking back, he wishes he would have.

"I propose a toast," Magneto's voice is all power and allure. "to the New World."

Remy imagines that voice whispered against Rogue's ear. Is it different when tinged with passion?

Mystique takes part in the toast; Remy does not hold back the heat from his gaze when staring her down. He wants to phase through her head like Kitty can phase through walls and gather all of her thoughts in his fist.

* * *

Finally, right? Replies as soon as I get the chance.

Review Please.


	74. banging

Her eyes are forced open by the ringing of alarms, the banging of doors. She turns herself on her side to gaze out into the hallway. Through the bars she sees the panicked state of the guards and doctors; they run back and forth before her cell.

The talk begins. Just whispers, snippets, gossip—it makes its way around the entire block, and when she hears it, something warm spreads across the entirety of her stomach.

_Escape, _they're all saying, _Escape!_

She knows he will find the X-Men and come back for her, for them all.

_Hope we can hold on._

* * *

Wanna be done with all this filler and info stuff so we can get to the good parts!

Review Please.


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